I have major health anxiety. It seems that everyday I find something new to worry about. I am in the US and am waiting to buy health insurance so am unable to run to the doctor immediately.

I am 40, but still hope to have children, so a few months ago I started to try to get more in touch with my body and cycles, so I learned to feel my cervix etc. Last period I had just been to the bathroom and I have OCD so unless I am about to have a shower I don't sit on a toilet. This means that I have to use muscles to go, either way. When I tried to insert a tampon it seemed quite difficult so I washed my hands and felt up there and it just seemed that my cervix was lower (probably from using muscles), and I can always feel my cervix, especially during this time of the month and as my fingers are only so long (shorter than how far a tampon goes in then I am sure that it was only this). Once I relaxed it was easier to then put a tampon in, although it still seems to hit the cervix, but then seems to push into the gap between the cervix and the wall, so all is good.

The thing is, when I felt up there the right side of my vagina seemed a little 'in' and bulgy (like a flat lump pushing on the wall), but I think I checked again another day and it has not been there again.

This month I have my period again and I had an issue inserting a tampon so I examined myself again and it was just the same as last time so I waited a while, relaxed and all was fine. I also felt my cervix and opening which I thought felt slightly rough which worried me but I have done that before and felt it again and it is smooth (or at least only feels like puckered lips which I believe is normal, but while I was feeling around I have noticed something else which has really freaked me out.

At the side of my cervix in the gap to the right/back, if I push I feel a small hard protrusion. Like I am feeling a piece of something through the wall of my vagina. If I didn't push it would not really be felt, so it is not my vagina. At first I hoped that maybe it was something in my intestine, but the first time I had felt it, I had just been properly, and it was the same later when I had a shower. I just examined myself again during my shower today and I can still feel it. The other side does not have anything like it. I think it is an inch at most and it seems quite pointy and definitely isn't smooth (maybe two bumps?) It really does feel as if I am feeling a piece of hard fecal matter through the wall, but I am sure it isn't. If I bear down it is more difficult to find it behind the muscle that comes down.

I am terrified at the moment, but I have read about that area, and there are ligaments and muscle, also fibroids can be on the outside of the vagina. Apparently the uterus can fold as well at the cervix, but surely this would be smooth and soft. I do not think I have felt it before, unless I just never worried about it. I just seem to have one worry after another. I can't talk to my boyfriend about it as I have already annoyed him so much about all the other worries I have.

OK, firstly calm down and stop panicking. Everything you have described sounds normal to me. Your cervix will drop and feel lower down around the time of your period, and it can sometimes feel rough which is totally normal. The other lump you felt was probably something in your bowel, unless it was just a tight muscle or your cervix in another position. Things in that department do tend to move around and can feel firm one day and all squishy another day. I don't think anything you have described sounds unusual to me, so please try not to worry.

I am not really worried about my cervix. Only the entrance is slightly rough and it feels more like puckered skin and I have heard that this is normal. However I am worried about the lump. It is definitely not my cervix as I can feel the cervix easily. It is when I press to the side (past my cervix). It is to the side of it and further up in the cavity (maybe behind slightly but can't remember if it is more in the direction of my rectum or bladder). Do you think it could be just some knotted muscle in there? I am not sure what structures would be there. I am hoping it isn't an ovary that has dropped. I am really worried.

I don't think it could be an ovary. It is much more likely to be a knot/hard muscle or something in your bowel that you can feel through the skin (if you know what I mean). Honestly, I don't think you need to worry.

Shoegal, I really appreciate your reassuring words. I also love you pic...

If it had moved today I would have felt better, but I have been to the toilet twice in the last two days. Both times my fecal matter was quite soft (sorry TMI). I eat a lot of fiber and also my period makes my bowel movements softer. I know there are muscles there, but it feel slightly round and hard. I just keep thinking a mass, or fibroids. I have had a complete pelvic exam about ten years ago but then I did not have health insurance until 2003. I started going for physicals from a primary care physician in 2004 and had a pap smear in 2005. The next year she said I did not need a pap, and she only palpated my stomach. I had issues with her so changed my PCP and he gave me a quick, normal physical in 2008 when I first joined, but I really went to get a referral and wasn't really thinking about when a pap was due. Then I went to the UK in 2009 and just returned so it has actually been over 5 years since a PAP or exam. When I get insurance I know I need to get one, but I don't think this is something that a PAP would show as it is not on my cervix (I just need to go anyway), but I am more concerned that I haven't ever had any kind of sonogram or anything to see if I have fibroids or not.
Has anyone ever felt something like this and been told that it is normal?

Forgive a male for getting involved in this thread but as a scientist I can't help but be knowledgeable and, as a male, what better biological subject to be knowledgeable in than the female genitalia...

Anyways, lumps at, or around the cervix can be quite normal and not a means for concern, they are known as nabothian follicles and can occur at the cervix, or around it. These would be smallish, round, hard lumps as you describe; and due to their normality, would be my first thought.

On the other hand, as women age their...erm...internal architecture (the politest way I could think of saying this!) changes. As such, muscle structure around the uterus, bladder and rectum all change and thus can lead to things feeling different.

What is more, I am assuming your biggest worry is cervical cancer and, it has been proven that cervical cancer has a huge link to HPV or Human Papillomavirus. This is usually shown by bumps, lumps and warts but, the internal symptoms of this are seldom present without some external presence.

My advice would be not to worry for now. What you feel is probably quite normal. But, I would advise you sort out health insurance, or a doctor as soon as possible and get yourself a checkout; I am not suggesting that there is something wrong, but the opinion of a professional would probably put your mind very much at rest.

Thanks for the info, but I am not worried about cervical cancer (obviously I have health anxiety so am naturally worried that I haven't had a PAP for a while, but from what I know is if I had CC where I had a huge lump, it would be on the cervix?) But the lump is not on my cervix and not on the skin of my vagina. It is a hard, gristly-like lump above my vagina that I can feel if I push in the fornix area.

Im going to reply with a quite gross reply so i apologise if theres tmi.

where exactly is the lump and do you feel it all the time or only sometimes??

i could be wrong and i could be thinking that the lump is in a different area to what you are describing but....if you insert your fingers into your cervix is the lump at the back, near your back passage or at the front on the inside of your belly? if its at the back and its only there occasionally it is very possible you just need the toilet (for a number two) it sounds vile and im sorry lol but if you need a poo (trying to sound as polite as possible!!) if you need a poo and you insert your fingers into your cervix you can actually feel the poo in your back passge which feels like a hard lump.

i could be wrong, you may be ta;lking about it being somewhere else but thought id reply just in case.

That is where it is, but i moved my bowels twice and it was still there. As it happens, I have decided not to poke anymore. I was more crampy this month after I had done all of the poking. I have read that there are ligaments there and such, and also the tip of the bladder. There is also the tip of the muscle that lies between the uterus and rectum. I suppose as I am not a doctor I should not try to figure out what it is. It may have been there for years I don't know.

When I go for an exam in a month or so I will let them know. I think talking to my Mum helped as she said there are lots of things that it could be that are just a part of my body.

I have a lump identical to what you described, in exactly the same place. I went to the gynecologist and she did not notice anything. Like you I've ruled out the possibility of it being stool. I notice the same changes in my cervix throughout the month, and this lump is distinctly behind my cervix and does not change as my cervix does.

Do you also find that it's sensitive to pressure? During intercourse for example?

The following paragraph is graphic, but bear with me. It is related—

I only started to feel this lump recently, maybe six months ago. Another problem that started around the same time is an ever growing problem with constipation. It's been bad enough that recently I've had to *ahem* manually extract the blockage. Most recently, though, as I felt around in my notably empty rectum, it occurred to me that I might be able to feel this vaginal lump from the other side. I could, indeed, and this lump seemed to be pressing against my rectum, almost pinching it. Then, low and behold, just beyond the lump and the pinched area of my rectum was fecal matter!

Both of these issues have been causing me extreme stress lately, and it would be pretty interesting to find that they're two symptoms of the same issue. I've researched quite a bit about fibroids and they seem to fit the bill. I also came across the image on this page: http://www.leadershipmedica.com/somm...nterfaccia.htm which looks somewhat similar to what I'm feeling, however, there's a significant amount of mass beyond the wall of my vagina so I hesitate to say it's endometriosis. It could be, though, as I think it might be more common of people my age.

If it matters I'm 26, very thin, otherwise healthy and eat a very healthy diet that shouldn't cause constipation.

My husband is a neuropathologist, but he focused on gynecology during his residency so I'll see if he can't locate some better information for me to share here.

ETA: I see now that your post is nearly a year old. Did you every find any answers about this?